A broad range and wide variety of absorbent articles configured for absorption of bodily exudates such as menstrual fluid are well known. With respect to feminine hygiene, the art has offered two basic types of feminine hygiene protection: namely sanitary napkins and panty liners, developed for external wear about the pudendum region, and tampons, developed for placement within the vaginal cavity, and accordingly for interruption of menstrual flow therefrom prior to such menstrual flow reaching the vestibule. Hybrid feminine hygiene protection devices, attempting to merge the structural features of both sanitary napkins and tampons in a single type of device, have also been proposed, but have not seen a meaningful measure of acceptance insofar as the effort to achieve advantages with such devices has been overshadowed by the more demonstrable perception of structural and anatomically functional disadvantages.
Other less intrusive devices, known as labial or interlabial devices or pads, have also been proposed. These articles are designed to reside primarily within the wearer's vestibule while having a portion residing at least partially external of the wearer's vestibule. Interlabial articles can provide a preferred profile or appearance when viewed through a wearer's outer garments and do not have the same problems of reliance on swelling within the vaginal canal as required by tampons. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,484,429; 4,175,561; 3,983,873; and 3,726,277 disclose various types of interlabial absorbent articles.
A significant factor affecting consumer acceptance of interlabial articles is comfort and ease of use. However, there is great variance in the elasticity and dimensions of the labial/vestibule region between women. Vestibule lengths may range from 15–100 mm, and widths may range from 5–50 mm. Such variance is problematic for manufacturers in that it is difficult to provide an interlabial article that is comfortable for a wide range of women.
The design of conventional interlabial articles is also restrictive in terms of product versatility. For instance, the majority of interlabial articles have a pervious top sheet and an impervious back sheet. This design restricts article orientation and placement in that the pervious top sheet must always be the body-facing side of the article. This inhibits repositioning of the article to relieve discomfort. For example, depending on a wearer's unique anatomical configuration and the interlabial product size and shape, the interlabial article may cause rubbing/chaffing in the wearer's perineum region. Options for repositioning the article to relieve such rubbing/chaffing are severely restricted by the presence of the impervious back sheet. Also, the chance of article misplacement (impervious side to the vaginal opening) is always a possibility.
Thus, a need exists for an interlabial article design that offers a greater degree of comfort and versatility to a wider range of women. The present invention provides such a design.